[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 31 (Friday, February 14, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7578-7579]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-3743]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Information Collection To Be Submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for Approval Under the Paperwork Reduction 
Act; Special Use Permit Application Form for Alaska Refuges

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will submit the collection 
of information listed below to OMB for approval under the provisions of 
the Paperwork Reduction Act. We have included an estimate of the 
information collection burden in this notice. If you wish to obtain 
copies of the proposed information collection requirement, related 
forms, and explanatory material, contact the Service Information 
Collection Clearance Officer at the address listed below.

DATES: We accept comments until April 15, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the requirement to Anissa Craghead, 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, ms 222--ARLSQ, 4401 N. Fairfax Dr., Arlington, VA 22203; or 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of the information 
collection request, explanatory information, and related forms, contact 
Anissa Craghead at (703) 358-2445 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
regulations at 5 CFR part 1320, which implement provisions of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), require that 
interested members of the public and affected agencies have an 
opportunity to comment on information collection and recordkeeping 
activities (see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)). We plan to submit a request to OMB to 
renew its approval of the collection of information for special use 
permit applications on national wildlife refuges in Alaska. We are 
requesting a 3-year term of approval for this information collection 
activity. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not 
required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays 
a currently valid OMB control number.
    The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, which 
amends the National Wildlife Refuge Administration Act (16 U.S.C. 
668dd-668ee), requires that we authorize economic privileges on any 
national wildlife refuge by permit only when the activity will not be 
incompatible with the purposes for which the refuge was established. 
The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) provides 
for the disposition and use of a variety of federally owned lands in 
Alaska. Sections 302 and 303 of ANILCA identify the purposes for which 
each refuge in Alaska was established and shall be managed. Section 304 
of ANILCA prohibits us from permitting any use of Alaska refuges unless 
it is compatible with the purposes of the refuge, and requires that we 
prescribe regulations and impose terms and conditions as may be 
necessary and appropriate to ensure activities permitted under any use 
are so compatible.
    Various other sections of ANILCA prescribe additional conditions 
and requirements for us to permit uses on national wildlife refuges in 
Alaska. Specifically, section 810 of ANILCA requires that we evaluate 
the effects of any proposed use on subsistence uses and needs. Section 
1303 of ANILCA establishes requirements and conditions for permitting 
use or construction of cabins, and states that we will issue no special 
use permits for cabins unless the permit applicant provides certain 
items of information. Section 1307 of ANILCA contains provisions 
concerning persons and entities to whom we are to give special rights 
and preferences with respect to providing commercial visitor services 
(except for guided hunting and sport fishing services) on units of the 
National Wildlife Refuge System in Alaska.
    Our general refuge regulations provide for public entry for 
specialized purposes, including economic activities such as the 
operation of guiding, outfitting, and other visitor services on refuges 
by concessionaires or cooperators under appropriate contracts or legal 
agreements (see 50 CFR part 25.61) or special use permits (see 50 CFR 
parts 26.22(b) and 26.25). Alaska refuge regulations provide the 
authorities and procedures for selecting permittees on Alaska refuges, 
the vast majority of which are providers of services and facilities to 
the public (see 50 CFR parts 36. 37 and 36.41). We issue permits for a 
specific time period as determined by the type and location of the use 
or visitor service provided.
    We supply refuge special use permit applications to interested 
Alaska citizens upon request. We use information provided on the permit 
application to determine whether the applicant is qualified and 
eligible for a permit. For competitively awarded permits, we use the 
information to ensure that we select the most qualified applicants to 
receive the benefit of a refuge permit. In applicable situations, we 
also use the information to determine the applicant's eligibility for 
special rights and preferences required by section 1307 of ANILCA. In 
addition, Alaska refuge managers need the information requested on the 
permit application to evaluate potential impacts of the proposed uses 
on refuge resources and other refuge users. Using information provided 
on the application form, refuge managers must determine or ensure that 
the proposed uses are compatible with the purposes of the refuge, 
provide safe and high quality visitor services to the public, and are 
consistent with other statutory and regulatory requirements for 
management of Alaska refuges.
    Title: Special Use Permit Applications for National Wildlife 
Refuges in Alaska.
    OMB Control Number: 1018-0014.
    Service Form Number: 3-2001.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals and households; business 
and other for-profit institutions; not-for-profit institutions; farms; 
and State, local, or Tribal governments.

[[Page 7579]]



                                     Information Collection Burden Estimate
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                                                                  Annual  number    Completion     Annual burden
                   Type of permit application                     of respondents  time (in hrs.)     (in hrs.)
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Competitively issued permit.....................................             180              30           5,400
Non-competitively issued permit.................................             170             1.5             255
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      Combined Total............................................             350  ..............           5,655
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    We invite comments concerning this renewal on (1) Whether the 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
our functions, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the 
collection of information; (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, 
and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) Ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents. 
This information collection is part of a system of record covered by 
the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552(a)).

    Dated: February 10, 2003.
Anissa Craghead,
Information Collection Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 03-3743 Filed 2-13-03; 8:45 am]
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